Americans United - New Yorkhttps://au.org/tags/new-york
enState Officials Examine N.Y. School District Run By Orthodox Jewshttps://au.org/church-state/january-2015-church-state/people-events/state-officials-examine-ny-school-district-run
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>For years, a New York community’s public school system has been drained of resources by school board members who are more interested in assisting sectarian institutions than in improving public education. But thanks to complaints from angry residents, the state has finally assigned a financial monitor to oversee the board’s activities.</p><p>The controversy centers on the East Ramapo Central School District in Rockland County, which is home to a large concentration of Orthodox Jews. This group dominates the local school board – seven of the board’s nine members are Orthodox men. But these men don’t send their children to public schools, enrolling them instead in private yeshivas. And it seems the only reason they got elected to the school board in the first place is so they could divert as much taxpayer money as possible to sectarian institutions their kids attend.</p><p><em>The New York Times</em> explained recently that about 24,000 Orthodox children attend yeshivas. Approximately 9,000 kids, most of them from minority families, are in the public system. And that system is being slowly drained of money.</p><p>“Since 2009, the board has cut 245 public school positions, including special education teachers, guidance counselors, all social workers and all elementary assistant principals,” <em>The Times</em> reported. “Full-day kindergarten has been reduced to half-day, and instrumental music has been eliminated for kindergarten through third grades. Summer school has been eliminated, as has transportation for field trips. Athletics and extracurricular activities have been reduced by 50 percent.”</p><p>It appears that much of the money siphoned from public schools was used to help the yeshiva students instead. <em>The Times</em> reported that even as the public system was being bled dry, “spending on programs that benefit private school students – specifically, transportation and special education – have increased sub­stant­ial­ly.”</p><p>Continued <em>The Times</em>, “From 2006-7 to 2013-14, transportation costs increased 48 percent, more than double the statewide increase of 22 percent. Spending on transporting private school students specifically increased nearly 77 percent. From 2010-11 to 2013-14, the cost of providing special education increased 33 percent. Together, transportation and special education now make up 37 percent of the district’s budget, a much higher proportion than is typical statewide.”</p><p>Eventually, angry public school parents demanded that the state intervene. In response, New York officials appointed a special monitor, an attorney named Hank Greenberg, to investigate. Greenberg recently recommended that the state appoint a fiscal monitor with the power to overrule the school board’s spending decisions. He labeled the board’s fiscal oversight “abysmal,” but he stopped short of calling for a state takeover of the district.</p><p>Greenberg told reporters that he does not believe the East Ramapo board operated “out of base or venal motives.” Rather, he asserted that the board was so intertwined with the Orthodox community that this “has blinded them to the needs of the entire community.”</p><p>In a “Wall of Separation” blog post, Americans United Director of Communications Rob Boston said New York officials acted appropriately and must follow through.</p><p>“The board is guilty of a gross dereliction of duty,” he wrote. “The state should intervene swiftly and take whatever measures are necessary to make certain that the children attending the East Ramapo District’s public schools get the education they’re entitled to.”</p></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-cs-department field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">People &amp; Events</div></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/other-issues-regarding-religion-schools-and-universities">Other Issues regarding Religion in Schools and Universities</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/other-government-aid-religious-schools">Other Government Aid to Religious Schools</a></span></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-cs-issue field-type-node-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Magazine Issue:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><article id="node-10769" class="node node-church-state-issue clearfix">
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</div></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/new-york">New York</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/public-schools">public schools</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/funding-religious-schools">funding to religious schools</a></span></div></div>Wed, 31 Dec 2014 20:00:00 +0000Timothy Ritz10783 at https://au.orghttps://au.org/church-state/january-2015-church-state/people-events/state-officials-examine-ny-school-district-run#commentsFunding Fiasco: Orthodox Union Wants More Taxpayer Money For Religious Schoolshttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/funding-fiasco-orthodox-union-wants-more-taxpayer-money-for-religious
<a href="/about/people/ms-sarah-jones">Sarah Jones</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">According to the Jewish Daily Forward, OU’s executive vice president, Allen Fagin, cited the financial burden imposed by private school tuition as a reason for the move.</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>A prominent Jewish group called the Orthodox Union (OU) <a href="http://forward.com/articles/211829/orthodox-union-launches-push-for-millions-in-fundi/">has announced at its annual conference</a> that it will lobby the state of New York to increase public funding for Jewish day schools and yeshivot – even though this raises some serious constitutional concerns.</p><p>According to the <em>Jewish Daily Forward</em>, OU’s executive vice president, Allen Fagin, cited the financial burden imposed by private school tuition as a reason for the move.<br /><br />“We all recognize that the real solution to the tuition crisis lies in using our political power and our advocacy efforts to increase state and local government funding for yeshivot and day schools,” Fagin said in a conference speech. “Their tuition bill is a burden on families and communities that has reached the breaking point.”<br /><br />He added, “Our goal is to transform the tuition landscape: to generate sufficient government funding for yeshivot and day schools to lower tuition costs in a meaningful way.”<br /><br />According to Fagin, the OU intends to launch what the <em>Forward </em>characterizes as “a multimillion dollar advocacy campaign” to advance their agenda. They’ve also retained a political strategist. <br /><br />The <em>Forward </em>notes that Jewish schools already receive some state funds, primarily for technology costs and mandatory attendance-taking. The First Amendment, however, forbids the state from directly funding religious education. That prohibition doesn’t appear to concern Fagin. </p><p>“It [the campaign] will require us to stop being timid,” he said. “We pay our taxes, and our kids are also entitled not to be left behind.”<br /><br />That statement, of course, is only half-true: Fagin’s constituents do pay their taxes, and their children are indeed entitled to an education. But that’s exactly what public schools are for. OU’s campaign relies on the same faulty logic we’ve seen from advocates of voucher programs: Because parents pay taxes, they should be able to ask every other taxpayer in the state to subsidize their child’s religious education. It’s a clear constitutional violation.<br /><br />But the burden OU’s campaign would impose on non-Orthodox families doesn’t rate much of a mention in Fagin’s speech – or on OU’s website. <a href="https://www.ou.org/life/education/beyond-possible-government-funding-day-schools-responsibility/">In a blog</a>, Maury Litwack, director of state political affairs for OU’s advocacy branch, encouraged Jewish schools to seek government funding <em>instead </em>of private funding as a means to resolve budget crises.<br /><br />“The legislative will exists, and the government has proven to be an effective source of funding to Jewish education,” Litwack wrote. “The Jewish day school world must treat government funding as more than just a debate over constitutionality and the potential for big funding.”<br /><br />He also positively cited voucher programs and tuition tax credit programs in other states for funding Jewish schools.</p><p>But members of the Orthodox community don’t always rely on voucher programs to channel public funds to religious schools. In November, <em>The New York Times </em>reported that Orthodox members of the East Ramapo Central School District (also in New York) <a href="https://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/school-swindle-ny-board-makes-private-education-its-top-priority">allocated a significant portion</a> of the school budget to local yeshivot, forcing public schools to cut programs and eliminate 245 teaching positions. The situation is so dire that a special monitor has recommended that the state appoint fiscal oversight for the district in order to ensure that public schools are properly funded.<br /><br />Public schools in Lakewood, N.J., are facing a similar crisis. Funding for Orthodox day schools <a href="http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/local/new-jersey/60457-why-a-spike-in-private-school-enrollment-is-costing-lakewood-public-schools-more">has increased</a> at the expense of public school budgets. Although some of these practices are currently legal—like funding for transportation to and from private religious schools—there’s no question that public school families are already fronting the costs of Orthodox Jewish education in more than one state.<br /><br />That’s exactly the sort of situation the First Amendment is designed to prevent. It’s unconscionable (and exceptionally brazen) for OU to demand that further funds be siphoned away from public schools intended to serve entire communities in order to promote their private religious agenda. If Orthodox parents want to place their children in religious schools, that’s their right. And it’s their responsibility to pay for it.</p><p>P.S. The “Wall of Separation” will be on hiatus until January 2. Happy New Year!</p></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/other-government-aid-religious-schools">Other Government Aid to Religious Schools</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/orthodox-union">Orthodox Union</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/school-vouchers">school vouchers</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/new-york">New York</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/new-jersey">new jersey</a></span></div></div>Wed, 31 Dec 2014 17:27:10 +0000Ms. Sarah Jones10797 at https://au.orghttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/funding-fiasco-orthodox-union-wants-more-taxpayer-money-for-religious#commentsSchool Swindle: N.Y. Board Makes Private Education Its Top Priorityhttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/school-swindle-ny-board-makes-private-education-its-top-priority
<a href="/about/people/rob-boston">Rob Boston</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">The East Ramapo Central School District in New York has failed in its first duty: to provide the best education possible to the children in its care.</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>A New York community provides a frightening example of what can happen when sectarian interests that don’t really care about public education gain control of taxpayer-funded schools that are meant to serve all.</p><p>The controversy centers on the East Ramapo Central School District in Rockland County. The area is home to a large concentration of Orthodox Jews, and they dominate the local school board. Seven of the board's nine members are Orthodox men.</p><p>These men don’t send their children to public schools. They enroll them in private yeshivas. Why, then, are they so adamant about running the local public school system?</p><p>The answer is both shocking and disturbing: They are looting it to divert as much taxpayer money as possible to their private sectarian institutions.</p><p><em>The New York Times</em> <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/18/nyregion/east-ramapo-school-board-is-criticized-by-new-york-city-monitor.html?_r=2">explains</a> that about 24,000 Orthodox children attend yeshivas. Approximately 9,000 kids, most of them from minority families, are in the public system. And that system is being slowly drained of money.</p><p>Reported <em>The Times</em>, “Since 2009, the board has cut 245 public school positions, including special education teachers, guidance counselors, all social workers and all elementary assistant principals. Full-day kindergarten has been reduced to half-day, and instrumental music has been eliminated for kindergarten through third grades. Summer school has been eliminated, as has transportation for field trips. Athletics and extracurricular activities have been reduced by 50 percent.”</p><p>What happened to that money? It appears that much of it was used to help the yeshiva students. <em>The Times</em> reported that even as the public system was being bled dry, “spending on programs that benefit private school students – specifically, transportation and special education – have increased substantially.”</p><p>Continued <em>The Times</em>, “From 2006-7 to 2013-14, transportation costs increased 48 percent, more than double the statewide increase of 22 percent. Spending on transporting private school students specifically increased nearly 77 percent. From 2010-11 to 2013-14, the cost of providing special education increased 33 percent. Together, transportation and special education now make up 37 percent of the district’s budget, a much higher proportion than is typical statewide.”</p><p>Angry public school parents demanded that the state intervene. In response, New York officials appointed a special monitor, an attorney named Hank Greenberg, to investigate. Greenberg recently recommended that the state appoint a fiscal monitor with the power to overrule the school board’s spending decisions. He labeled the board’s fiscal oversight “abysmal,” but he stopped short of calling for a state takeover of the district.</p><p>Greenberg told reporters that he does not believe the East Ramapo board operated “out of base or venal motives.” Rather, he asserted that the board was so intertwined with the Orthodox community that this “has blinded them to the needs of the entire community.”</p><p>Greenberg is being too generous. This board has failed in its first duty: to provide the best education possible to the children in its care. I’m also not willing to let this board skate on being base and venal. Its goal, it seems, was to siphon as much money as possible away from the public schools and divert it to the yeshivas. Members didn’t seem to much care about what happened to the children left behind in the public system – after all, their kids weren’t in those schools.</p><p>The board is guilty of a gross dereliction of duty. The state should intervene swiftly and take whatever measures are necessary to make certain that the children attending the East Ramapo District’s public schools get the education they’re entitled to.</p></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/other-government-aid-religious-schools">Other Government Aid to Religious Schools</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/east-ramapo-central-school-district">East Ramapo Central School District</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/new-york">New York</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/hank-greenberg">Hank Greenberg</a></span></div></div>Tue, 25 Nov 2014 15:11:53 +0000Rob Boston10690 at https://au.orghttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/school-swindle-ny-board-makes-private-education-its-top-priority#commentsRights And Responsibilities: Federal Judge Rules That Religious Freedom Is Not Absolute In N.Y. Vaccination Case https://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/rights-and-responsibilities-federal-judge-rules-that-religious-freedom-is
<a href="/about/people/ms-sarah-jones">Sarah Jones</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">U.S. District Judge William F. Kuntz II found that education officials can send unvaccinated children home when another student suffers from a vaccine-preventable disease. </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>Children whose parents opt them out of vaccines on religious grounds can be barred from New York City’s public schools if the child poses a threat to another pupil, a federal judge has <a href="https://au.org/files/pdf_documents/Phillips%20v%20NYC.pdf">ruled</a>.</p><p>U.S. District Judge William F. Kuntz II found that education officials can send unvaccinated children home when another student suffers from a vaccine-preventable disease.<br /><br />Three families had challenged the city’s policy, arguing that it unconstitutionally violated their freedom of religious expression. It’s a complex case: <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/23/nyregion/judge-upholds-policy-barring-unvaccinated-students-during-illnesses.html?smid=tw-nytimeshealth&amp;seid=auto&amp;_r=1">According</a> to <em>The New York Times</em>, two families sued to overturn the city’s policy, while a third plaintiff sued over the city’s refusal to grant her the religious exemption she sought.<br /><br />“We don’t want anything being put into our bodies at all,” <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/health/2014/06/23/3452130/vaccine-new-york-city-lawsuit/">said</a> Nicole Phillips, mother of two unvaccinated children, after filing suit in 2012. “We’d rather rely on our natural immune system and our faith in God. This is about my children’s rights.”<br /><br />And Dina Check argued that the city’s requirements to qualify for a religious exemption also violated her constitutional rights. She believes her daughter was “intoxicated” after receiving some vaccines as an infant and subsequently sought an exemption from the rest of the vaccine schedule.</p><p>“Disease is pestilence,” Check told <em>The</em> <em>Times</em>, “And pestilence is from the devil. The devil is germs and disease, which is cancer and any of those things that can take you down. But if you trust in the Lord, these things cannot come near you.”<br /><br />But Kuntz rejected those arguments, citing a 109 year-old Supreme Court case that upheld a $5 fine for a Massachusetts man who refused a smallpox vaccine during an epidemic.<br /><br />That case, Kuntz wrote, is evidence that the Court “strongly suggested that religious objectors are not constitutionally exempt from vaccinations.”</p><p>New York City’s government, Kuntz said, has a compelling interest to protect public health and that outweighs the right of religious objectors to send their unvaccinated children to public schools, where they might possibly endanger others.<br /><br />There’s also evidence that the city’s policy has successfully curbed at least one measles outbreak. <em>The</em> <em>Times</em> reports that between February and April this year, 25 people contracted measles, a vaccine-preventable disease. Two were children whose parents exempted them from vaccines for religious reasons. Although one child was being homeschooled, a sibling attended public school. Officials say the outbreak would have been much worse if the infected children hadn’t been ordered to stay home. <br /><br />But the families who filed suit over the city’s policy are undeterred by the health policy’s evident success – and by Kuntz’s ruling. Their attorney, Patricia Finn, announced that they intend to appeal.<br /><br />This ruling provides a valuable example of reasonable restrictions on religious freedom. Families are legally entitled to believe whatever they choose about medicine, including vaccines, and this ruling doesn't require them to vaccinate. But they also aren’t entitled to jeopardize public health.</p><p>Sweeping religious freedom claims have been making national headlines for months now. This decision is a reminder that, as important as religious liberty is in America, it can be curtailed in the face of a compelling state interest. Halting the spread of dangerous diseases most certainly qualifies as a compelling interest.</p><p>New York City’s policy strikes a balance between protecting religion and safeguarding public health. Despite what the plaintiffs have claimed, it’s hardly a draconian assault on their religious freedom. In fact, the city’s policy is actually rather lenient compared to those in some other locales. In Mississippi and West Virginia – states not known as bastions of secular liberalism – it’s <a href="http://www.newsweek.com/2014/06/27/anti-vaccination-crazies-strike-out-bible-belt-states-255483.html">impossible</a> to receive such an exemption at all. And neither state seems likely to change policy any time soon.<br /><br />Whether it’s a parent trying to send an unvaccinated child to public school during an epidemic or an employer is trying to deny contraception coverage to his employees, religious freedom is never a valid excuse for infringing the rights of other people. </p></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/outside-workplace-discrimination-exemptions-religious-practice-including-military-prisons">Outside the Workplace: Discrimination, Exemptions &amp; Religious Practice (including in the Military, Prisons, Housing, Healthcare, etc.)</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/new-york">New York</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/vaccines">vaccines</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/religious-freedom">religious freedom</a></span></div></div>Wed, 25 Jun 2014 17:52:55 +0000Ms. Sarah Jones10174 at https://au.orghttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/rights-and-responsibilities-federal-judge-rules-that-religious-freedom-is#commentsA Little List: The Top Ten Church-State Stories Of 2013 https://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/a-little-list-the-top-ten-church-state-stories-of-2013
<a href="/about/people/rob-boston">Rob Boston</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Here are some prominent church-state developments of 2013. </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>It’s that time of year when people are compiling lists. So let’s look at the Top Ten Church-State Stories of 2013.</p><p><strong>1. Greece, N.Y., prayer case argued before U.S. Supreme Court: </strong>An Americans United-sponsored lawsuit challenging legislative prayer in the city of Greece, N.Y., <a href="https://www.au.org/church-state/december-2013-church-state/featured/showdown-at-the-supreme-court">reached the Supreme Court.</a></p><p>The suit, <em>Town of Greece v. Galloway</em>, challenges the use of almost-exclusively Christian prayers before meetings of the Greece Town Board. AU’s plaintiffs, Susan Galloway and Linda Stephens, who are Jewish and atheist respectively, said the practice makes them feel like second-class citizens.</p><p>A decision in the case could have far-reaching consequences for the separation of church and state. The case was argued in December, and a ruling is expected by the end of June.</p><p><strong>2. The Supreme Court rules on same-sex marriage: </strong>In June, the Supreme Court ruled on two cases concerning same-sex marriage. The decisions in <em>U.S. v. Windsor</em> and <em>Hollingsworth v. Perry</em> had the effect of advancing the legality of same-sex marriage and led some observers to conclude that it’s only a matter of time before the practice is legal nationwide. Indeed, in the wake of those rulings, several lower courts have issued decisions favorable to same-sex marriage in other contexts, most recently in Utah.</p><p>Religious Right groups and the Roman Catholic bishops <a href="https://www.au.org/church-state/september-2013-church-state/featured/wedding-crashers">reacted with anger and dismay</a> to the rulings and vowed to oppose them.</p><p><strong>3. Contraceptive lawsuits advance in the courts: </strong>Opponents of the Affordable Care Act’s contraceptive mandate filed a slew of lawsuits, asserting that the provision violates their religious liberty rights. Federal courts handed down conflicting rulings on the matter, and the Supreme Court <a href="https://www.au.org/media/press-releases/americans-united-urges-us-supreme-court-to-protect-workers-access-to-birth">has announced</a> that it will hear two cases brought by the owners of secular corporations who oppose the mandate. In the meantime, courts are beginning to issue rulings in cases brought by religiously affiliated organizations such as religiously affiliated colleges.</p><p>The spate of legal cases astounded some advocates of church-state separation and women’s rights, who assumed that access to contraceptives was a long-settled issue in the United States.</p><p><strong>4. Religious Right-backed candidates lose in Virginia:</strong> A slate of candidates backed by the Religious Right <a href="https://www.au.org/church-state/december-2013-church-state/au-bulletin/religious-right-candidates-lose-va-elections">was defeated</a> in Virginia’s statewide elections in November. Ken Cuccinelli, a Republican closely aligned with the Religious Right, lost the governor’s race to Democrat Terry McAuliffe.</p><p>The GOP’s lieutenant governor candidate, E.W. Jackson, was also defeated. Jackson, a former staff member for TV preacher Pat Robertson’s Christian Coalition, lost to Democrat Ralph Northam by 10 points. Jackson, who often appears at Religious Right meetings, made several controversial statements during the campaign. He asserted that non-Christians “are engaged in some sort of false religion,” and he was criticized for earlier comments calling gay people “sick” and accusing President Barack Obama of “Muslim sympathies.”</p><p>In the attorney general’s race, Democrat Mark R. Herring defeated conservative Mark D. Obenshain in a tight race that was not settled until absentee ballots were counted.</p><p><strong>5. Anti-evolution efforts fail in Texas and other states. </strong>Attempts by creationists to water down the teaching of evolution in public school science classes failed in Texas, and anti-evolution bills collapsed in several other states.</p><p>In Texas, several members of the State Board of Education criticized proposed new science books because they did not promote creationism. The effort failed when textbook publishers <a href="https://www.au.org/church-state/december-2013-church-state/people-events/book-publishers-refuse-to-create-creationist">refused to create special books</a> for Texas that downplayed evolution. The board subsequently voted to adopt textbooks that discuss evolution in depth.</p><p>Creationism fared poorly in several others states as well. The National Center for Science Education reported that <a href="https://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/creationism-corralled-eight-states-reject-creationist-measures">anti-evolution bills floundered</a> in seven other states – Arizona, Colorado, Indiana, Missouri, Montana, Oklahoma and Virginia.</p><p><strong>6. Church politicking issue reemerges: </strong>The Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) in August issued a report calling on the Internal Revenue Service to lift the ban on pulpit-based partisan politicking.</p><p>An ECFA commission <a href="https://www.au.org/church-state/october-2013-church-state/featured/pulpit-politicking-pushed">prepared a report</a> for U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) asserting that the current law, which prohibits all 501(c)(3) non-profits from intervening in political races between individuals, is “vague”; the groups went on to assert that the law “chills permissible speech” and “causes confusion” among non-profits.</p><p>It’s unclear what impact the report will have, but late in the year the IRS hinted that some movement on the issue may occur. The tax agency issued a document listing its goals for the fiscal year 2013-14. Among them was a line item indicating that the IRS hopes to finalize new internal procedures for conducting audits of houses of worship, a necessary first step before a church can be investigated for politicking.</p><p><strong>7. U.S. Senate votes to reject vouchers: </strong>An effort by voucher supporters to create a nationwide plan failed in the Senate in March. During a lengthy session over budget issues on March 22, U.S. Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) put forth an amendment that would have allowed 11 million low-income students to receive $1,300 each to put toward tuition at religious and other private schools.</p><p>Americans United and its allies <a href="https://www.au.org/church-state/may-2013-church-state/featured/school-voucher-victory">mobilized quickly</a> to oppose the measure, and it was handily defeated by a vote of 60-39. However, voucher plans continued to advance in some states, notably North Carolina.</p><p><strong>8. Hurricane relief sparks church-state battle:</strong> In the wake of the devastating Hurricane Sandy, which struck several East Coast states in late October of 2012, some religious leaders began demanding taxpayer funds to rebuild damaged houses of worship.</p><p>The issue<a href="https://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/fema-fight-resumes-senate-ponders-taxpayer-aid-for-damaged-houses-of"> flared up</a> in the House of Representatives and Senate in 2013, with Americans United and its allies arguing that repairing and rebuilding houses of worship is a job best done with private funds, not government money. AU noted that diverting taxpayer aid for purely religious purposes would raise constitutional issues; the group also pointed out that historically, tax aid has been extended only to entities that serve a public purpose, such as libraries, schools and community centers.</p><p>No church-relief bills have passed in Congress, but AU continues to monitor the situation.</p><p><strong>9. North Carolina bill proposes official state religion:</strong> In one of the most bizarre church-state stories of the year, a North Carolina legislator introduced legislation that would have allowed local governments in the state to <a href="https://www.au.org/church-state/may-2013-church-state/au-bulletin/nc-state-religion-bill-dies-after-national-furor">declare official religions</a>.</p><p>The resolution, which was cosponsored by nine state lawmakers, asserted that “each state is sovereign and may independently determine how the state may make laws respecting an establishment of religion.” It also declared that “the North Carolina General Assembly does not recognize federal court rulings which prohibit and otherwise regulate the State of North Carolina, its public schools, or any political subdivisions of the State from making laws respecting an establishment of religion.”</p><p>House Speaker Thom Tillis (R-Charlotte), had the measure pulled after it received a torrent of national and international ridicule.</p><p><strong>10. Mt. Soledad cross must be removed, court rules: </strong>In the latest twist of a long-running church-state case, a federal court ruled that a towering cross on public land in San Diego <a href="https://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/cross-over-court-rules-calif-sectarian-symbol-on-government-land-must-come">must come down</a>. The Mt. Soledad cross has been the subject of litigation for more than 20 years. Although its supporters claim that the cross is a war memorial, opponents note that the cross was never described as a memorial to veterans until recent times. They also assert that a sectarian symbol like a cross cannot memorialize all war dead.</p><p>Cross defenders are appealing the decision in <em>Jewish War Veterans of the USA v. Hagel</em>.</p><p>Happy New Year!</p></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/creationism-evolution">Creationism &amp; Evolution</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/vouchers">Vouchers</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/prayer-at-government-events-and-legislative-meetings">Prayer at Government Events and Legislative Meetings</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/government-sponsored-religious-displays">Government-Sponsored Religious Displays</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/religious-groups%E2%80%99-involvement-in-candidate-elections">Religious Groups’ Involvement in Candidate Elections</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/marriage-including-same-sex-marriage">Marriage (including same-sex Marriage)</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/reproductive-health-conscience-clauses-for-religious-objectors">Reproductive Health &amp; Conscience Clauses for Religious Objectors</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/vouchers">vouchers</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/same-sex-marriage">same-sex marriage</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/greece">Greece</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/new-york">New York</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/mt-soledad-cross">Mt. Soledad cross</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/birth-control">birth control</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/affordable-care-act">Affordable Care Act</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/evolution">evolution</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/texas">Texas</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/virginia">virginia</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/ew-jackson-0">E.W. Jackson</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/ken-cuccinelli">Ken Cuccinelli</a></span></div></div>Tue, 31 Dec 2013 14:43:52 +0000Rob Boston9378 at https://au.orghttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/a-little-list-the-top-ten-church-state-stories-of-2013#commentsPublic School Proselytizing Prohibited: Federal Appeals Court Rejects New Prayer Schemehttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/public-school-proselytizing-prohibited-federal-appeals-court-rejects-new
<a href="/about/people/rob-boston">Rob Boston</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Compelling a young person to recite a prayer or read a Bible passage every morning in a public school violates core religious liberty protections as well as usurps family rights.</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>Some people who advocate coercive school prayer are relentless. They’re always coming up with a new scheme to impose their preferred form of worship onto impressionable public school students.</p><p>Sometimes they even try to use children to spread religious messages in schools. Yesterday, a federal appeals court put the brakes on this latest effort to compel prayer in schools.</p><p><a href="https://www.au.org/church-state/september-2012-church-state/au-bulletin/au-urges-court-to-oppose-graduation-prayer">The case</a> involved a student, identified in court papers as A.M., who wanted to close her middle school graduation speech with a prayer taken from the Old Testament Book of Numbers. The passage, Numbers 6:24-26, is often called the Priestly Benediction.</p><p>Officials at the Taconic Hills Central School District in Crayville, N.Y., declined to allow the girl to recite the passage, so her family lined up help from a small Religious Right-oriented law firm in Florida and sued. A federal district court rejected the suit, and now the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals <a href="http://www.ca2.uscourts.gov/decisions/isysquery/bab8754f-6006-490c-a224-d1d116fc2ac5/18/doc/12-753_so.pdf#xml=http://www.ca2.uscourts.gov/decisions/isysquery/bab8754f-6006-490c-a224-d1d116fc2ac5/18/hilite/">has agreed</a>. </p><p>When the <em>A.M. v. Taconic Hills Central School District</em> case reached the appeals court, attorneys with Americans United filed a friend-of-the-court brief, siding with school officials. At that time, Americans United Associate Legal Director Alex J. Luchenitser pointed out what was really going on here.</p><p>“The Religious Right is trying to use students to circumvent court rulings that have prohibited clergy and school employees from leading prayers at public school events,” Luchenitser, who drafted AU’s brief, said in a <a href="https://www.au.org/media/press-releases/ny-public-school-was-right-to-tell-student-not-to-recite-prayer-during">media statement</a>. “We are asking the court to put an end to such efforts. Evangelization of captive student audiences does not belong in the public schools.”</p><p>AU’s brief pointed out that the federal courts have ruled repeatedly that the Constitution prohibits public schools from sponsoring or promoting prayer and other acts of worship. Because public schools serve children from diverse backgrounds, AU asserted, the institutions must remain neutral on matters of theology.</p><p>In a court deposition, A.M. made her religious motivation clear. She recounted studying the Priestly Benediction at church and noted that some students in her class did not believe in Jesus.</p><p>“[I]t’s my job to talk about God and see if they like it,” A.M. said in the deposition. “In God’s word, it says that I should – well, I was put on this Earth for a purpose and my purpose was to talk about God and try to get as many people to follow Him….”</p><p>That may be fine for the playground. No one would try to stop A.M. for having casual discussions with her friends about religion (as long as it doesn’t rise to level of harassment). In this case, A.M. wanted to do something much different: She wanted to hijack the apparatus of the public school system and proselytize everyone during a public event. School officials don’t have to allow that.</p><p>As a practical matter, school officials must retain control over events like graduation. Granting students an unfettered right to say anything could result in some uncomfortable situations.</p><p>But there’s a deeper issue here: For 50 years, the Supreme Court and lower federal courts have ruled that public schools must respect the rights of all students and not impose religion onto anyone. Compelling a young person to recite a prayer or read a Bible passage every morning in a public school violates core religious liberty protections as well as usurps family rights.</p><p>Advocates of coercive and mandated worship in public schools have sought to get around this in many ways. They tried to call the prayers “voluntary.” They told students who didn’t like it to leave the room. They argued that the prayers were acceptable because they were “student led.”</p><p>The courts have seen through these gambits. In the wake of this latest courtroom defeat, we can only hope (or even pray, if that’s your choice) that the people who advocated compulsory religion in public schools will give up.</p></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/school-prayer">School Prayer</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/taconic-hills-central-school-district">Taconic Hills Central School District</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/new-york">New York</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/school-prayer">School Prayer</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/alex-luchenitser">Alex Luchenitser</a></span></div></div>Thu, 31 Jan 2013 15:20:47 +0000Rob Boston7957 at https://au.orghttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/public-school-proselytizing-prohibited-federal-appeals-court-rejects-new#commentsShrine Settlement: NY Religious Site Won’t Take Taxpayer Aidhttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/shrine-settlement-ny-religious-site-won%E2%80%99t-take-taxpayer-aid
<a href="/about/people/rob-boston">Rob Boston</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Churches are not the same as museums, sports stadiums and amusement parks. They are centers of worship. As such, they don’t qualify for taxpayer-funded bailouts.</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>Americans United’s legal staff endeavors to resolve church-state conflicts outside of court whenever possible. Today I’m happy to report on one of those victories.</p><p>In late March, Americans United received a complaint from Montgomery County, N.Y., concerning the Board of Supervisor’s plan to give a $750 grant to a shrine in Fultonville. The Shrine of Our Lady of Martyrs is dedicated to Kateri Tekakwitha, a member of the Mohawk tribe who converted to Catholicism in the 17th Century. </p><p>Tekakwitha has been declared a saint by Pope Benedict XVI and will be officially canonized on Oct. 21. The shrine is planning a number of events to mark the occasion, and they’re all religious in nature. For example, several Catholic masses and a special service seeking healing for the sick will be held.</p><p>Americans United pointed out that tax funds could not underwrite these religious events. Our attorneys asked that the grant be cancelled.</p><p>The supervisors did not react well to Americans United’s letter. In fact, Board Chairman Shayne Walters vowed to award the grant and said of AU, “They can go fly a kite.”</p><p>No kite flying will be necessary. Officials at the shrine have <a href="http://www.leaderherald.com/page/content.detail/id/546450/Shrine-turns-down-tourism-grant.html?nav=5011">turned down the grant</a>. Board member Jeff Stark had proposed modifying the grant to make it clear that only secular activities could be funded, but it became obvious pretty quickly that this would not be possible. There aren’t any secular activities at the shrine.</p><p>Beth Lynch of the shrine told a local newspaper, “We did not initially turn down the grant, but we can’t sign the addendum. We can’t sign anything with those conditions. We’re not a secular organization. We are who we are, and we’re not going to compromise, dilute or disintegrate that.”</p><p>This shouldn’t surprise anyone. The <a href="http://www.martyrshrine.org/pages/home.html">shrine’s website</a> is full of religious references and outlines in great detail the religious activities that will take place during the canonization ceremony. No one wants to take that away from the shrine’s fans; we just don’t believe local taxpayers, who represent a variety of religious and non-religious views, should have to pay for it.</p><p>This issue has come up in <a href="http://www.au.org/church-state/april-2011-church-state/featured/historic-shift">some other areas of the country</a> in recent years. For a long time, the practice in the United States was that houses of worship would pay their own way. When they needed upkeep and repair, they would look to their congregants for that money, not the taxpayer.</p><p>Some misguided religious leaders are departing from that standard. They argue that their churches are historic and thus qualify as tourist attractions. They see no problem with the taxpayer at large being asked to pay to repair and preserve these facilities.</p><p>The problem is that churches are not the same as museums, sports stadiums and amusement parks. They are centers of worship. As such, they don’t qualify for taxpayer-funded bailouts.</p><p>I get the impression that the supporters of the shrine are excited about the upcoming canonization. In light of that, I’m confident that they will supply all of the necessary funds to put on this event.</p><p>Asking the taxpayer to pick up even part of the tab just isn’t right, and I’m pleased that officials at the shrine understand that.</p></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/other-government-subsidies-religious-institutions-not-including-schools">Other Government Subsidies of Religious Institutions (not including schools)</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/new-york">New York</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/shrine-of-our-lady-of-martyrs">Shrine of Our Lady of Martyrs</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/kateri-tekakwitha">Kateri Tekakwitha</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/shayne-walters">Shayne Walters</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/jeff-stark">Jeff Stark</a></span></div></div>Mon, 23 Apr 2012 15:48:37 +0000Rob Boston7014 at https://au.orghttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/shrine-settlement-ny-religious-site-won%E2%80%99t-take-taxpayer-aid#commentsThe Curious Case Of Kiryas Joel: Is New York Harboring A Mini-Theocracy? https://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/the-curious-case-of-kiryas-joel-is-new-york-harboring-a-mini-theocracy
<a href="/about/people/rob-boston">Rob Boston</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Visitors to the village of Kiryas Joel, N.Y., might be forgiven for believing they have stepped into a mini-theocracy. </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p><strong> </strong></p>
<p>There are no theocracies in America, right? After all, we have constitutionally mandated separation of religion and government.</p>
<p>Perhaps not. A village in New York called Kiryas Joel appears to be going right up to the line – and perhaps lurching over it. An interesting case just filed in federal court will test the ability of a religious group to actually run an entire town.</p>
<p>Kiryas Joel is an enclave of ultra-orthodox Jews who belong to the Satmar Hasidic sect. Members of this group believe in separating themselves from others – they’d rather not be around non-sect members. Thirty-four years ago, they won the right to create their own village from the surrounding community of Monroe.</p>
<p>The village’s founders might have envisioned an idyllic community where people of a shared faith lived in harmony. It hasn’t worked out that way. As often happens when people live in insular communities, factions emerge. Dissidents in Kiryas Joel don’t like the way the town of about 20,000 is being run. The dissidents, who by some accounts now make up 40 percent of the community, say religious discrimination is rampant. They say if you don’t belong to the right synagogue, you’re a second-class citizen.</p>
<p>A local newspaper, the <em>Times Herald-Record</em> in Middletown, N.Y., <a href="http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110614/NEWS/106140315&amp;cid=sitesearch">reported</a>, “The case alleges discrimination against dissidents…in various facets of public life, from tax exemptions for synagogues to election improprieties to selective enforcement of village noise ordinances. Among the most serious allegations is that Kiryas Joel’s Public Safety Department, a quasi-police agency, has acted as enforcers for the main congregation and tolerated acts of violence and intimidation against dissidents by unruly crowds of young supporters of Satmar Grand Rebbe Aron Teitelbaum, the leader of Kiryas Joel’s majority faction.”</p>
<p>It’s tempting to dismiss this as an internecine squabble among members of a small religious group. It’s not that simple. The Satmar group may not be large, but its members are politically savvy. In 1989, they successfully lobbied the New York legislature for their own “public” school system.</p>
<p>The Satmars didn’t want their children to be educated alongside non-Satmars. For most Satmar families, this wasn’t a problem since their children attend private religious academies. But the community lacked the resources to educate its special-needs children. The New York legislature’s answer was to give the village its own public school, with boundaries drawn in such a way that all non-Satmars were excluded.</p>
<p>The U.S. Supreme Court <a href="http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=US&amp;vol=000&amp;invol=u10355">struck down</a> the scheme in 1994, but New York lawmakers quickly began brain-storming other ways to keep the school open. More litigation ensued. Two other laws were struck down by the courts before the legislature finally <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/20/nyregion/controversy-over-enclave-joins-school-board-group.html">crafted a measure</a> that passed constitutional muster.</p>
<p>How did a little community gain such influence? <em>The New York Times</em> <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/21/nyregion/kiryas-joel-a-village-with-the-numbers-not-the-image-of-the-poorest-place.html">explained</a> earlier this year that while Kiryas Joel is a poor community, it has discovered the secret of getting a lot of attention from politicians: “Because the community typically votes as a bloc, it wields disproportionate political influence, which enables it to meet those challenges creatively.”</p>
<p>Meanwhile, visitors to Kiryas Joel might be forgiven for believing they have stepped into a mini-theocracy. A sign at the village entrance admonishes visitors to <a href="http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2010/08/31/welcome-to-kiryas-joel-please-dress-accordingly/">dress modestly</a>. Cleavage-revealing tops for women are verboten, and both sexes are told to cover arms and legs. Couples are advised to “maintain gender separation in public places.”</p>
<p>The sign was erected by the town’s largest synagogue. Its wording is tough, but in fact the village can’t legally enforce rules like this. Still, women who dare to visit the community while wearing skimpy summer outfits have reported scowls and glares. (Imagine the reaction from the Religious Right if this were a town of fundamentalist Muslims and they erected a sign reading, “Women are welcome to visit if accompanied by a male relative. Please respect our values by wearing a burqa.”)</p>
<p>I realize the Satmars want to live on their own (although they’ve chosen an odd place to do that – just 50 miles north of New York City), but that does not give them the right to use government as a device to enforce religious conformity. Nor does it give them the right to create an insular theocracy. Our Constitution doesn’t allow that.</p>
<p>The lawsuit has already achieved some of its goals by shining light on questionable practices in this enclave, and there may be more revelations as the case moves forward. This situation doesn’t pass the constitutional smell test. It definitely bears watching.</p>
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</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/lobbying-by-churches-and-religious-groups">Lobbying by Churches and Religious Groups</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/kiryas-joel">Kiryas Joel</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/new-york">New York</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/satmar">Satmar</a></span></div></div>Tue, 21 Jun 2011 17:53:45 +0000Rob Boston2203 at https://au.orghttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/the-curious-case-of-kiryas-joel-is-new-york-harboring-a-mini-theocracy#commentsArchbishop Absurdity: Dolan Diatribe Shouldn’t Derail N.Y. Marriage Legislationhttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/archbishop-absurdity-dolan-diatribe-shouldn%E2%80%99t-derail-ny-marriage
<a href="/about/people/bathija">Sandhya Bathija</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>If New Yorkers approve same-sex marriage, Archbishop Timothy Dolan <a href="http://blog.archny.org/?p=1247">says</a> the Empire State is doomed to become just like China or North Korea.</p>
<p>Say what?!</p>
<p>What in the world is Dolan talking about? In those countries, he says, “government presumes daily to ‘redefine’ rights, relationships, values and natural law. There, communiqués from the government can dictate the size of families, who lives and who dies, and what the very definition of ‘family’ and ‘marriage’ means.”</p>
<p>If Dolan had his way, I am guessing he would rather live in a place where the church – specifically his church – dictated those things, instead. I’m sure that if the government defined “family” and “marriage” based on his religious beliefs, he would have no longer have a problem with its “dictatorship.”</p>
<p>Sadly for Dolan, that’s not going to happen and should never happen in a country that believes in the separation of church and state. This new proposal before the New York State legislature is true to this constitutional principle.</p>
<p>The measure, which was <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43426523/ns/us_news-life/">approved</a> by the New York House yesterday and is now awaiting approval by the Senate, merely mandates that married same-sex couples have the same rights as married heterosexual couples. It also recognizes religious freedom rights by exempting religious groups and ensuring that a church, temple or synagogue cannot be forced to marry a gay couple.</p>
<p>That seems fair. The government should not base its laws and the definition of marriage solely on any religious group’s doctrines, and religious leaders should be free to perform same-sex marriages, or decide not to, based on their teachings.</p>
<p>Yet Dolan and other religious leaders won’t be happy until our laws codify their religious beliefs.</p>
<p>According to archbishop, “God, not Albany, has settled the definition of marriage a long time ago.”</p>
<p>Yesterday, nearly 100 members of the clergy <a href="http://gothamist.com/2011/06/15/gay_marriage_legislation_faces_last.php">turned up</a> for “A Rally For Traditional Marriage” in front of City Hall. The rally was organized by City Action Coalition’s leader, Bishop Joseph Mattera, who feels that a “large percentage of people in New York City and state…are very uncomfortable with the concept of gay marriage.”</p>
<p>An even larger percentage, however, supports legalizing same-sex marriage. Fifty-six percent (some polls say even more) of New York voters are in favor of it, <a href="http://articles.nydailynews.com/2011-01-27/local/27738121_1_gay-marriage-new-poll-new-york-voters">according</a> to a Quinnipiac University survey.</p>
<p>But even if that weren’t the case, discomfort for the majority is no reason to deny equal rights to all Americans – or to violate the separation of church and state.</p>
<p>I’m counting on the New York State Senate to know that, too. The measure is expected to be voted on in the Senate today or tomorrow.</p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/archbishop-timothy-dolan">Archbishop Timothy Dolan</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/freedom-religion">Freedom of Religion</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/new-york">New York</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/same-sex-marriage">same-sex marriage</a></span></div></div>Thu, 16 Jun 2011 18:03:49 +0000Sandhya Bathija2537 at https://au.orghttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/archbishop-absurdity-dolan-diatribe-shouldn%E2%80%99t-derail-ny-marriage#commentsUnorthodox Deal: Jewish Group In New York May Have Traded Political Support For State Aidhttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/unorthodox-deal-jewish-group-in-new-york-may-have-traded-political-support
<a href="/about/people/rob-boston">Rob Boston</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Members of a New York religious group are apparently willing to sell their votes to the highest bidder.</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p><strong> </strong></p>
<p>The state of New York faces a daunting budget shortfall of $10 billion. The state’s public schools and universities have been told to expect a 10 percent across-the-board funding cut.</p>
<p>So naturally it’s time for state legislators to approve an $18 million appropriation for Orthodox Jewish seminary students.</p>
<p>The funding measure, buried in an 800-page state budget, will affect about 5,000 students attending 50 ultra-conservative rabbinical schools in the state. Previously, these students had not been eligible for funding under New York’s Tuition Assistance Program (TAP). Now they will – even though their training is strictly religious.</p>
<p>The allocation, <em>New York Jewish Week</em> <a href="http://www.thejewishweek.com/news/new_york/rabbinical_students_no_longer_tap_ped_out">reported</a>, appears to have been part of a larger effort by political forces in the state to woo members of the conservative Jewish community. State Sen. Dean Skelos, who serves as Republican Senate majority leader, represents a district that includes several areas of Nassau County where many Orthodox live.</p>
<p><em>City Hall News</em>, an online publication that covers New York government, <a href="http://www.cityhallnews.com/newyork/article-1835-with-skeloss-push-for-tap-money-a-promise-on-krugers-seat.html">reported</a> that the TAP allocation is part of a larger political deal. Currently, Republicans have a thin two-seat majority in the state Senate. But a Democratic senator, Carl Kruger of Brooklyn, has been indicted over charges that he accepted bribes. Chances are he’ll have to step down, which will lead to a special election. Republicans have their eye on the seat and are eager for Orthodox support. Allegedly, Skelos pushed the funding through to sweeten the deal.</p>
<p><em>City Hall News</em> reported that Schmuel Lefkowitz, a top lobbyist for the Orthodox group Agudath Israel, met with Skelos to discuss the matter. Noted the publication, “At the same meeting, Agudath officials also agreed to support the Republican candidate in a prospective special election to replace indicted State Sen. Carl Kruger, if and when Kruger vacates his Brooklyn Senate seat, according to two sources with knowledge of the meeting.”</p>
<p>As a non-profit organization, Agudath Israel, <em>City Hall News</em> noted, “cannot legally endorse candidates for office or support them. But behind the scenes, the organization nonetheless often plays a key role in south Brooklyn elections, with endorsements by leading members seen as tacit support by Agudath.”</p>
<p>Last year, New York Democrats used the funding issue to woo the Orthodox. They managed to slip the rabbinical school aid into the budget, but it was vetoed by then-Gov. David Paterson. In return, reported <em>City Hall News</em>, “leaders of Agudath Israel worked to try and keep Senate Democrats in the majority last year.”</p>
<p>Let’s sum up here: Members of a religious group are apparently willing to sell their votes to the highest bidder. In response, politicians eager to get those votes are only too happy to trash constitutional principles. (New York’s Constitution is clear on this matter. Article XI states that no public money can be used “directly or indirectly” to aid sectarian schools.)</p>
<p>I can imagine this deal being struck in a smoke-filled back room filled with people in power suits. The only thing missing is Boss Tweed. It sure stinks to high heaven.</p>
<p>Here’s hoping New Yorkers, whose public secondary schools and universities are being bled dry while this funding goes forward, start to make some noise.</p>
<p>P.S. On a related note,<a href="http://www2.newsadvance.com/news/2011/mar/27/liberty-tops-state-federal-aid-its-students-ar-929147/"> a story</a> is floating around in cyberspace about government aid to students at the late Jerry Falwell’s Liberty University. Students there now receive nearly half a billion in federal grants every year, making Liberty Virginia’s top recipient of such government assistance. The aid, called Pell Grants, is extended to low-income students. I’m not knocking the grants – I relied on them myself to pay for college – but I do find it ironic that this conservative, government-hating institution would not exist without a massive welfare program. Aren’t these rugged individualists supposed to be picking themselves up by their bootstraps?</p>
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</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/churches-and-politics">Churches and Politics</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/carl-kruger">Carl Kruger</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/dean-skelos">Dean Skelos</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/liberty-university">Liberty University</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/new-york">New York</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/schmuel-lefkowitz">Schmuel Lefkowitz</a></span></div></div>Wed, 06 Apr 2011 14:45:56 +0000Rob Boston2181 at https://au.orghttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/unorthodox-deal-jewish-group-in-new-york-may-have-traded-political-support#comments